Doctor Who to Return Without Eccleston

After nearly a decade of waiting for development in bringing back Doctor Who to television, fans of the series have been hit with a number of news items, both positive and negative.

In light of the first episode’s positive press and a ratings figure that pushed to nearly ten million (nearly 40% of the total possible viewers at that time tuned in), the BBC has announced that there will be both a Christmas special and a second season of the new series, making it the 28th season of Doctor Who.

Unfortunately, this bit of good news was tempered by the announcement that Christopher Eccleston has chosen not to return for the new series due to fears of being typecast, but will appear in the Christmas special. Since it’s rumored that the season finale will end in a cliffhanger in which the Doctor appears to die or be dying in the process of saving Rose, the Christmas episode will no doubt feature the regeneration of the 9th Doctor into the 10th with a “rebirth” theme fitting for the holiday season.

The BBC has confirmed that it’s currently in talks with actor David Tennant, who’s currently staring in BBC 3s series Casanova, which is another project of Doctor Who’s executive producer and writer Russell T Davies. The BBC has stated, however, that Billy Piper will be returning as Rose Tyler.